Chicago / Pilsen - Lincoln United Methodist Church, 2242 S. Damen Ave - Pro-immigrant rights Pilsen church vandalized twice and of course these ILLEGAL BEANERS BLAME DONALD TRUMP
CAN YOU SAY B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T.
For two days in a row, neighbors of a Pilsen neighborhood church have awakened to see racist graffiti on the church's doors.
Swastikas and the message "Rape Mexico" were scrawled in white paint across the glass doors of Lincoln United Methodist Church, 2242 S. Damen Ave.
Lincoln United Methodist is the sister church to Adalberto United Methodist in the Humboldt Park neighborhood where Elvira Arellano, a Mexican immigration activist who was living in the U.S. illegally, sought sanctuary for more than a year starting in August 2006. On Easter Sunday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to the Lincoln congregation about the importance of immigration reform for Christians.
"We've always been in defense of keeping families together," said Sara Walker, a member of the church since 2012. "We believe that Jesus and his family were migrants themselves."
The Rev. Emma Lozano, pastor of both Lincoln and Adalberto, blames widely publicized remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for inciting the vandalism. Trump has suggested building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and has described some Mexican immigrants as "rapists."
"The rhetoric that's coming out of these presidential campaigns is really fueling the courage of these people who feel threatened by the growing Latino community," she said. "These words that are being said — 'Mexicans are coming here to rape' — those words do fuel violence and fuel anger, and someone is acting out of that."
A church musician scrubbed the graffiti from the windows after the vandalism was reported to Chicago police.
"Our neighbors didn't want to see it either," Lozano said, adding that she held on to photographs to share with police and the public. She said the congregation and its leaders will not back down from showing solidarity with immigrants.
"We're going to be more vigilant and ask our neighbors to do the same," Lozano said. "I really believe God is going to protect us. We just need to let people know what is happening and they should not fear people who are already here. Their families are trying to stay together."
Aucun commentaire: